'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muntasir. AH 247-248 / AD 861-862. AV Dinar (16mm, 4.12 g, 1h). Surra man ra’a mint. Dated AH 248 (AD 862). VF.

Islamic Auction 4 – Session 1
Lot: 58. Estimated: $ 10 000

‘Abbasid Caliphate, Gold

Sold For $ 10 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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'Abbasid Caliphate. Al-Muntasir. AH 247-248 / AD 861-862. AV Dinar (16mm, 4.12 g, 1h). Surra man ra’a mint. Dated AH 248 (AD 862). Bernardi 159Jc (this coin cited); Album 231. Minor edge marks. VF. Extremely rare.

Ex Sotheby’s (October 1986), lot 668.

The eldest of son of al-Mutawakkil (AH 232-247), al-Muntasir was initially designated heir apparent to the caliphate, but his father later came to prefer another of his sons, al-Mu‘tazz. The rivalry between the two brothers during the final years of al-Mutawakkil’s reign saw rival factions coalesce around each. Al-Muntasir was backed by the Turkish mercenary troops and commanders of the Palace guard, while al-Mu‘tazz’s supporters came from the traditional ‘Abbasid aristocracy. Tensions between all involved continued to escalate, and by AH 247 al-Mutawakkil’s behaviour towards al-Muntasir had gone from being disrespectful to become actively threatening. Perhaps seeing that the situation was irretrievable, al-Muntasir decided to strike first. A band of Turkish guards murdered al-Mutawakkil in the audience hall of the palace, and al-Muntasir was named caliph, backed by Turkish swords.

Thus began the nine-year period known as the ‘Anarchy at Samarra,’ which nearly led to the downfall of the ‘Abbasids. Once established as caliph, al-Muntasir’s Turkish commanders urged him to compel his brothers to renounce their claims to the caliphate. Al-Muntasir had little choice but to acquiesce, and both al-Mu‘tazz and another brother, al-Mu‘ayyad, had little choice but to obey. In the event, however, al-Muntasir’s reign was to last less than six months, and he died early in AH 248 at the age of twenty-five. His death may have been the result of natural causes, but some accounts inevitably suspected foul play and one story relates that a physician murdered him with a poisoned lancet. He was succeeded by his cousin al-Musta‘in, who was proclaimed caliph by the Turkish guard in the face of opposition from the supporters of al-Mu‘tazz. This discontent was suppressed by the Turks, with considerable bloodshed, but al-Mu‘tazz’s time would come.

Because of the brevity of his reign, al-Muntasir's gold coinage is the rarest of any ‘Abbasid caliph. This is highlighted by their absence from the Kazan collection of Islamic gold coins, where the cataloguer noted that ’The dinars of al-Mustansir are extraordinarily rare, therefore a silver dirham has been included to represent this caliph.’

The final winners of all CNG Islamic Auction 4 – Session 1 lots will be determined during the live sale that will be held on 19 October 2023.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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